Porto: You’ll Always Want to Come Back

Porto, Always a Place to Come Back

It fills us with life, loves to live, has flavour and, around this time, it has… cinema. You should visit it now that Fantasporto is about to begin! You will feel like as if you were in a movie with a lot of happy scenes.

Porto, Always a Place to Come Back

Porto was considered as a destination on the rise by TripAdvisor and it was recognised as well by the Traveller's Choice as one of the best emerging European destinations. It is a city with magnetism and traditions, always challenging the future. This is where the Douro River flows. Its energetic course full of life combines extremely well with Porto’s days and nights. Known as the invincible city (Invicta), it is one of Portugal’s main cultural references. It has a good spirit, a lot of history, wonderful food, excellent wine and, of course, it has... fantastic cinema!

Fantasporto for all seventh art lovers

This is the city that every year hosts the renowned International Film Festival — Fantasporto — already on its 37th edition. If you’re planning on going to Porto very soon, between the 24th of February and the 4th of March, make sure you visit the Rivoli Theatre (right at the city centre). After all, we are talking about one of the most prestigious European film festivals, attracting people not only from the rest of the country or Europe, but from the whole world. From auteur cinema to amateur movies, it is a celebration of the seventh art and it focus on principles like innovation, research, promotion and dissemination of Portuguese, European and world cinema, always allied to music and performing arts.

Cinema at the famous Rivoli Theatre

It hosts the Fantasporto festival as well as other artistic manifestations such as theater, music or dance. It stands (with simplicity and beauty) at the Dom João I Square, and it is one of the city’s greatest cultural symbols and an essential mark on portuense culture. It has two auditoriums, a lounge area and a restaurant. Currently, and after several directions came and went, Rivoli is part of the Porto Municipal Theatre along with the Campo Alegre Theatre. The history of Rivoli is first told in 1913 (the year of its opening) and in 1926, when the first films (silent movies at the time) were shown.

Since you are in Porto, you should…

Watch the sun drop at the Douro’s feet and, with such an engaging and romantic landscape, you can take your time to quietly enjoy the scenery around you. Yes, in real life it is also possible to feel and live like we were in a beautiful movie set.

In Ribeira (a World Heritage in UNESCO classification) there is always a special light that leaves us with good memories and there is also a unique atmosphere that constantly invites us to come back. It is one of Porto’s most typical areas and this is where you will be able to find its oldest streets — Fonte Taurina Street and Ribeira Square are two good examples. The medieval touch remains, even if mixed with the contemporary. It was precisely here that the city began to grow and there are stories to be told in every street and every corner.

Among its lovely colourful houses with cheerful facades, its ancient arcades or its narrow and winding streets, you can sense the happy bustle of the nearby bars and taste the best portuense delicacies in the area’s several typical restaurants that this part of the city has to offer. We guarantee you truly excellent experiences with a beautiful view to the river... and to life.

To complete the charming landscape, there are as well the traditional wooden boats known as Rabelos. They were formerly used to carry the famous Port Wine barrels between the wine production regions and the wine cellars located in Vila Nova de Gaia. Today, they are used for beautiful boat rides and, every year, they transport thousands of tourists. Get on board and open your heart to the Douro.

Discover the Port Wine cellars

Travelling through the Port Wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia also means drinking the soul of this region, sweet and fortified just like its wine. The wine cellars keep their secrets sealed but the wine we find here makes us want to celebrate. Take this opportunity to discover them in detail. During this kind of discovery, you will be able to taste a large variety of wines, learn more about how to tell apart their different aromas, solve almost all of their enigmas and taste the history that they keep. All of this while you enjoy the stunning and beautiful movie-like landscape around.

Take a walk down the Santa Catarina Street

While you are in Porto, you will be able to feel the city in many different ways, with its different settings and rhythms. Santa Catarina Street can transport you into a film with a lot of movement, cheerful, filled with colour and with alternated scenes between the agitated lives of the portuenses and the small discoveries made by the ones that are visiting the city. It is the perfect setting for a great walk. You will find craft shops, traditional cafes and the usual characters like vendors and street artists, students, people who work nearby and tourists. Everything seems to be in its right place for a well spent morning or afternoon.

Taste its flavours

Very wonderful flavours, actually! The region’s traditional cuisine is rich, genuine, varied and filled with personality. From the fresh fish to the tasteful and robust meat dishes, to the famous codfish variations and perfect desserts, in Porto you can eat very well and always with the best wine at the table. We will give you two suggestions!

A journey through the Invicta’s traditional flavours must include the tasty francesinha (a kind of a French toast with meat and a very special sauce). The famous recipe was created in the 1960’s and kept in secret for a period of time. Nowadays, almost everyone knows the ingredients and it can be easily recreated at home — but the truth of the matter is that eating a francesinha in Porto has another flavour, the real one!

Tripas à Moda do Porto is an ancient dish dating back to the era of the Portuguese discoveries and another gastronomic symbol of the region. You can taste it in several restaurants around the city and we assure you that it’s just as if you were tasting Porto.

Porto makes us want to come back and leaves a taste of life in our mouths

For these and many other reasons, discovering Porto is an experience that appeals to all our senses. It is genuine, it tells great stories, welcomes us with love and provide us with its best wine for beautiful toasts. It is a city with an accent, with light and charisma , a place where we are always willing to return.

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